One cab driver said the extra costs are going to get passed on to consumers.

“The passenger has to pay,” he said.

While these tolls and fares may be tough to take, they’re scheduled to rise even further, with Hudson River tolls at $12.50 by the 2015 and PATH train fares up to $2.75.

The Port Authority said it needs the extra income to pay for transportation projects and rebuilding the World Trade Center.

AAA said the use of money for that type of construction violates federal law. Robert Sinclair of AAA said a prior legal ruling states that toll revenue must be used for transportation initiatives.

“We think that increasing tolls to pay for costs over at the World Trade Center violates that legal decision and will impede interstate commerce and establish a new and ill-conceived policy of diverting toll revenues to local real estate development projects,” Sinclair said.

AAA is suing to block the toll hikes, but in the meantime the only choice drivers have is how to pay for them.

“Still got to work in the city everyday,” one commuter told Mercogliano, “Still got to do it.”

What do you think of the Port Authority’s explanations of the hikes? Sound off in our comments section below…

Sean Adams

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